The Most Unfortunate and Unexpected Encounter
by DarkFlameFantasy
Summary: After a mission, Roy, Hughes and the Elrics run into a certain person. The appearance of the Elrics' father, Hohenheim causes the two brothers to quarrel. Al loves the fact that his dad is back but Ed doesn't take it too well. What will Roy and the others be able to do for the promising brothers? Parental RoyEdAl. Rated T for language - Just mild cursing and swearing.
1. Chapter 1: The meeting

**Alright! So this is my first FMA fanfic, in fact this my first fic that I am publishing!**

 **I intended it to be a one-shot but it turned out to be too long and so I decided to make it 3-4 chapters at max.**

 ***Important details: Here Edward is 15 years old so obviously Al is 14. Alphonse is in the military. Winry lives with Ed and Al in Central. This takes place in the brotherhood anime.**

 ***Pairings: None, this is a parental and family fic!**

 ***Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters. I only own the plot.**

 **Now enough with my blabbering! Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Most Unfortunate and Unexpected Encounter**

 ** _Chapter 1: The meeting_**

Amidst the blowing wind, the cold breeze and the autumn leaves, four of the best soldiers of Amestris slowly walked down the train station and towards Central Head Quarters. Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes, Colonel Roy Mustang and the famous Elric brothers had been on a mission that fortunately, went pretty well unlike all their expectations.

When they were about to reach HQ, Alphonse spotted a person whom he didn't see in _ages_ , he stood with blank expressions, starring at the back of the familiar figure in front of him.

"Brother! Look here" Al called to his brother hopefully.

"What is the matter Al" sighed Edward, he was so bored and just wanted to go home and sleep as long as he can. He reached over to Alphonse and glanced at the man that his brother was starring at; blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, a long brown coat and a leather bag where what marked the man. It didn't take Ed a second to register who the person standing before his eyes was.

"Brother, isn't … isn't that our dad?!" asked Alphonse in ecstasy.

Hearing that, Roy and Hughes froze and got lost in thoughts, ' _the boys' father?! If he was alive then where have he been all those years?'_ They wondered.

Ed on the other hand, looked more frustrated than he ever had, all his exhaustion and weariness changed into pure _anger_.

"Damn it! Why the hell is he here…now?" Ed said gritting his teeth together and clenching his hands into furious fists.

"Father-" Al ran towards the man calling out to him happily.

But before Al could complete his sentence Ed had already sprinted past him and as soon as the man turned to look at the boy calling him he was sent flying away with a hard punch from none other than his elder son.

"You bastard! What the hell have made you show up here and now?!" asked Ed with an angry tone that caused everyone around them to freeze and silently watch them non-daring to utter a single word.

"Edward and Alphonse! Glad to see you both okay" The man said after getting up and recognizing the faces in front of him.

 _'_ _Glad to see them okay?! Are you nuts?'_ Roy frowned.

"I came looking for you boys of course. But why would you punch your dad like that Ed?" asked Hohenheim plainly with a small smile on his face.

"Who said we wanted you to ever come back?! And I don't consider you my dad in the first place, you bastard!" roared Ed, turning away and grabbing his brother's hand "Come on Al, let's leave" Ed said stunned by the unexpected reaction that followed, Al pushed Ed's hand violently and stepped back.

"I am staying here brother! I am staying with dad! We finally met him after so long." Al yelled.

"It's not that we wanted to meet him Al!" Ed shouted back.

"Well, sorry to break it to you brother but I _did_ want to meet him ever since!" Al bawled in a frustrated tone that he never used with his brother, _actually_ one that he never used before.

Ed was shocked for a moment at the sudden reaction from his brother before snapping "Fine Al, it's up to you but I am not staying one more second with this man!" and ran away angrily.

It took the people around a moment to register what happened and get back to what they were doing before the incident they just witnessed.

"Roy go find Edward before he goes too far and I will stay with Alphonse for now" Hughes slowly whispered to Roy.

"But Maes-"

"No _buts_ Roy! Don't tell me you will let Edward wander about like that! As if it wasn't bad enough for him to meet his dad but _no_ he had to fight with Alphonse too." said Hughes knocking some sense into Roy.

"This is just _great_!" Roy said furiously.

"Alright, I will get going then." he said and went in the direction Ed had run towards earlier.

* * *

After around 15 minutes of running around and searching, he saw the young alchemist walking down a pavement. He hurried towards him and called out "Fullmetal".

But Ed intentionally ignored him and continued walking.

"Stop right there Fullmetal, _it's an order!_ " Roy yelled now.

Ed turned with an angry face. Roy knew that this won't end up easily since _both_ of them were short-tempered and with Edward's stubbornness it was impossible.

"Now what the hell do you want from me?!"

Trying to be considerate of Ed's feeling Roy went towards him and put a hand over his shoulder.

"Edward, I understand how you are feeling but running around like this won't help you" Roy said in a slightly comforting tone which he himself was puzzled at, he just hoped that it would work but in a split second all his hopes faded away as Ed pushed off Roy's hand and grew red out of anger.

"Don't touch me you bastard! You can't and _won't_ ever be able to understand so don't act as if you do! You don't know a damn thing so just shut up and don't play father and treat me like some child now!"

After Edwards' outburst Roy completely lost it.

"Fullmetal now listen to me carefully because you are really pissing me off! I am _not_ trying to act like a father or anything. It's my fault that I tried to comfort you in the first place but that too isn't the reason I followed you all the way down here. I came because I don't want any more problems since you act so recklessly whenever you get _angry_ " Roy snapped giving up on solving the matter serenely.

"I don't act recklessly!" Ed frowned.

"You act recklessly and you _know_ it!" Roy replied.

"Damn it" Ed cursed under his breath knowing that he can't argue anymore because what Roy said was obviously _true_.

After Ed stopped arguing and calmed down _a bit_. Roy slowly spoke.

"So where are you going now? Want me to drive you home? The car isn't far away from here"

"I don't wanna go home… I know Al would take _that_ bastard there plus I am sure Al is angry with me too so I guess I would spend the night in a hotel or something" Ed said with a barely audible voice then tucked his hands into his pockets and continued walking slowly, Roy looked sadly at Ed's back before taking a deep breath and saying "Seems there is no choice then, come Ed let's go to the car, you can stay at my place for now" he sighed.

"Whaaa… No way!"

"Calm down Fullmetal, it's not that I want that either but it would save me the trouble of looking for you when you run off somewhere" he said putting on one of his usual smirks and turned.

"Follow me" he then started walking to where his car was parked, after a moment Ed followed hesitantly. Roy rode the car and waved at Ed to enter as well. Ed opened the door and sat in the passenger's seat beside Roy putting his seat belt on. After 5 minutes of driving on the road Ed had already given in to sleep, looking so peaceful. Roy chuckled at the sight of the small figure beside him _'It's ironic to think that this kid is actually the famous strong, hot-headed, repulsive, reckless Fullmetal alchemist who carries heavy responsibilities over his shoulders'_

* * *

After reaching to their destination Roy got hold of Ed's shoulders and shook him slowly to wake him up.

"Fullmetal"

"Hey fullmetal … wake up, we reached my place"

Edward got up rubbing his eyes "I.. wanna…sl..eep" he complained.

Roy smirked "Come on you sleepy head"

"You are annoying colonel, did someone tell you that before?" Ed said and yawned.

"Oh thanks, it's an honor to hear that from you _Fullmetal"_ Roy replied sarcastically and closed the cars' door behind Edward.

Once Roy opened his apartments' door, Ed threw himself on the comfortable soft fabric of the couch in the living room and buried his face in the pillow. Roy smiled slightly before going to his room to change then he made a phone call to his office.

"Hello this is Colonel Roy Mustang's office, how can we help you?" asked Hovac.

"Hey Havoc it's me, Roy" he replied

"Oh hey boss! So how is everything going? You were supposed to come today but you didn't. Hughes already told us the reason. So where's Ed now"

"Well as things have led… he is staying at my place for now and I don't want any comments from you Jean!"

"Oooooh! How did chief accept this?" Hovac said annoyingly as he chuckled.

"He did after fighting in the streets Hovac! Happy now? And didn't I tell you no comments" Roy sighed.

"So what did you want boss?"

"Well I might not be coming off to work tomorrow as things are getting complicated, I will tell you if anything new is up. Just keep me informed about how work is going"

"Sure thing, take care of Ed" Hovac said evilly and hung up the line.

 _'_ _I will kill you Hovac!'_ Roy thought then he sighed, dialing yet another number.

"Hello! May I know who is speaking?" a soft voice of a woman asked.

"Hi Gracia this is me Roy Mustang, can I speak to Hughes if he is home" he asked.

"Oh hi Roy, yes he just came home half an hour ago, I will call him right away, wait a second"

"Sure no problems Gracia"

After a moment Hughes took the phone from Gracia.

"Oh Roy you know what my little angel Elysia told me today" Hughes asked with sheer happiness.

"No Hughes and I don't want to know, I got no time for this, I am sure it's something sweet _as always_ " Roy said trying to hide the sarcasm.

"Now tell me what happened after I left?" Roy asked seriously

"Oh that okay – but first where's Ed?"

"He is staying with me for now" Roy said knowing that Hughes will make another joke.

"Oh how sweet Roy taking care of little Ed" Hughes said with the full intention to piss Roy off.

"Hughes I said I have no time for banter especially with that _sense of humor_ of yours" Roy replied angrily.

"Okay okay calm down Roy… I will tell you everything… geez" he muttered.

"So Al took his dad home and they invited me to come with them so I went as I wanted to know the reason why their father left, well after a while Al asked him the reason and then he replied 'Al I am sorry I didn't mean to abandon you boys, I left you for your own safety since I was being chased by dangerous terrorists for some secret information I had and after they were arrested and executed I got clung up in an important research for sometime then I decided to look for you boys, it's my responsibility as your father after all' well Alphonse being the kind kid he is, believed him right away and was so happy. Winry then made us some food and privately asked me about Ed, I told her not to worry since you are with him so she was a bit relieved and I made my way to the HQ then back home… Well that's the gist of what happened" Hughes said in a soft tone that showed a bit of dissatisfaction.

"His responsibility as their father _like hell!_ He abandoned them and then he comes saying that?! That _bastard_ " Roy spoke angrily but in a low voice so Ed won't hear him.

"You started speaking like Ed" Hughes giggled.

"Jokes aside, I don't like how this is going" Hughes said with a bit of concern in his voice.

"Yeah, neither do I, Let's see what will happen tomorrow, as for now I have to close before Ed comes hopping in here to see where I have gone." Roy sighed.

"Good night then, talk to you later Roy"

"Yeah Maes, good night"

Roy went into the living room, putting on a smirk and sarcastically saying "Fullmetal I will go make us something to eat so don't cause any troubles till then"

"Yeah yeah whatever" Ed murmured without lifting his head from the pillow.

Roy smiled and went to the kitchen. After sometime he came out with 2 plates of fried eggs and cups of noodles then kept them over the dining table.

"Come on fullmetal, food is ready"

"'kay!" Ed said while rubbing his eyes. He didn't seem to be in the mood, like obviously he just quarreled with his _only family members_ thus Roy refrained from teasing Ed as he usually does.

They sat on the table and ate silently; none of them spoke a single word. Edward left to wash his hands and on the way he broke the silence "Thank you colonel" he said without turning around to face Roy and continued walking.

 _Wait Ed just thanked Roy!_ He _did_ calmly and … _respectfully_ which honestly worried Roy more than it relieved him.

Edward wasn't acting like _Edward!_

* * *

When Edward came back he sat on the couch, raised his knees up to his chest, kept his arms around his legs and pushed his face onto his knees. He started recalling the whole day which obviously wasn't pleasant, he sat there cursing, frowning and tightening his grips over himself. Roy was sitting on an arm chair opposite to the couch. He looked at who seemed overflowing with emotions; frustration, anger, sadness, hatred and kind of _guilt_ , of course not for snapping at Hohenhaim but for yelling at his brother. Everyone knew how close the Elrics were, they hated to hurt each other moreover fighting, _yeah_ they often fought over silly things before, though those were either for banter, fun or out of concern but this one was _different_ …

Roy knew that he definitely didn't like the sight before his eyes. He wasn't used to seeing Edward like this; yeah he saw him depressed and exhausted a couple of times before but this took a wild turn that Ed actually seemed ready to give up and just break down. It's not like anyone could blame him though, he went through too much for someone so young, he barely acted his age that the people around him often forgot that he was just a child; yes that's what he was, a _child_ who was forced to be an adult before living a proper childhood!

Seeing his father after all those years, after abandoning them and not being there for them through their hardships; the _hardships_ that many adults wouldn't be able to overcome and moreover fighting with the person dearest to him, didn't help the situation in fact it just worsened it…

Looking at the boy in such a miserable condition, Roy decided to take action.

"Fullmetal" he called softly but received no response.

"Hey Fullmetal!" Roy said in a slightly louder tone but not that of anger or scolding.

Edward suddenly raised his head as if he forgot that Roy was actually present all the time.

"Oh colonel … Well .. yeah … What were you saying? Guess I didn't hear you" replied Ed.

"Fullmetal, you okay?" Roy asked trying to hide the concern in his voice.

"Yeah colonel, I am totally fine"

"You sure?"

"Yes colonel, I said I am fine!" Ed said annoyed by the repetitive question.

"Oh well, but you don't seem _fine_ to me. Something bothering you?" he asked and mentally slapped himself at the question, both of them knew what was _bothering_ him.

Ed just turned his head to the window and stared at the outside world blankly without saying anything.

The sky was gloomy. Thunder and lightning grew more and more frequent and it was raining heavily. Just like _those_ days; the day their mom died, the day of the transmutation, the day when Nina was turned into a chimera and the day she was killed. It seemed that the sky felt when it should pour like that; always on miserable days…

"Your father?" Roy asked hesitantly, regretting letting those words slip out of his mouth, however he didn't receive the expected reaction, there was no yelling, punching or kicking. _Hell he didn't even get angry!_ Instead Ed just looked at the floor with dull golden eyes full of misery and _hurt_.

"You know Colonel…"

Roy was taken aback by Ed's response and just sat there with wide eyes, listening to the boy as he continued.

"There were times when I really loved him; times were I thought of him as the best _father_ in the whole universe"

 _'_ _Alright this is good, at least the boy finally decided to open up'_ thought the colonel.

"Once, I got sick. Mom had taken Al and went to visit her friend in a nearby village, the Rockbells were having a family trip and dad had to stay back to take care of me. I rarely got sick but whenever I did, it would be so serious; I had an extremely high fever and wasn't supposed to leave bed which I really hated… Dad knew how bored I get if I don't move around so he used to read me stories and teach me card games and whenever he did that, the time seemed to pass so fast. It used to be fun though I was sick" Ed smiled at the memory.

"You know there was this time where mom was at the Rockbells' place to help them in some stuff. Dad stayed with me and Al and we asked him to make us paper flights but he said he was bad at them and ended transmuting a model plane for us which was a hundred times better than a paper flight. We were so fascinated by his alchemy that we used to intentionally break the flight just to see him perform alchemy to repair it and when he figured it out his expression was priceless" Ed chuckled.

Roy stayed silent afraid that the boy would bottle up again if he said anything.

"Although he was so busy with his researches and all, he still spent time with us but …" his voice started cracking.

 _'_ _This isn't good anymore, if he continues this way this conservation won't end nicely'_ Roy thought worriedly.

"But all of a sudden on one night he just left. Me and Al **_coincidentally_** woke up at late night and saw him opening the front door and mom was crying, then he just glared at us with a look that I never understood and left without even saying 'good bye'. I don't remember much about him but that _scene_ is carved in my memory …"

"Why?"

Roy just looked at him trying to comprehend the situation.

"Why now?"

 _'_ _Oh this is bad'_ Roy thought

"Why did he leave? Where has he been all these years… Where was he when mom was sick… in her funeral?" Ed asked particularly no one, trying so hard to hold back his tears.

"Where was he when we were left all alone… when we committed a taboo and nearly died… Where was he when we were searching for our bodies… He was a knowledgeable alchemist… he… he studied the philosopher's stone… he could have helped us"

 _'_ _Now this is getting worse'_ Roy felt uneasy as if his heart shattered into pieces upon hearing Ed's voice so faint, so vulnerable and …depressed.

Ed started shaking and his voice cracked even more than before.

"Why was he never there for us?... why is he coming.. now… he has no right to call us his sons anymore… damn it … just why? Why?!"

Now Ed couldn't hold it anymore, he dropped to his knees feeling hot tears streaming down his face, racing across his cheeks; he tried to get a hold of himself but failed terribly and cried even harder.

Roy didn't know what to say, after all he wasn't used to dealing with such situations; he kind of wished that Hughes was here since he was the man for such things.

He got up and moved towards Ed, kneeling down beside him, putting a hand on top of his head and rubbing it gently.

He stayed silent for a minute not sure of what to say, he started softly "…Ed… it's okay… let it out…"

Roy had the urge to just hug the boy to make him feel better and comfort him; to his surprise he did. He pulled Ed into a tight, warm hug. The boy didn't do anything to resist the gesture; he clutched his hands on the man's shirt and pushed his head onto his chest, sobbing and tightening his grip on Roy as time passed. Ed honestly felt comforted and safe in between Roy's arms, he didn't usually show weakness so now he was letting out all what piled up; he cried till he could no more.

After Ed had calmed down, Roy pulled himself away from Ed and guided him to the couch again; he got a cup of water from the kitchen and gave it to Ed who drank it all at once.

"Better now?" asked Roy with a firm smile.

"Yeah I guess… Thanks colonel" Ed said and blushed slightly.

"No need Fullmetal" Roy said as he ruffled the boy's hair.

"I am not a kid colonel!" Ed said and moved away.

"Oh really?" Roy grinned but refrained from teasing Ed about what just happened, afraid that if he did so, the boy won't ever open up to him again.

"Yeah bastard" Ed said and they both laughed out.

Roy looked up at the clock that read '1:30 am'

"Alright Edward, it's late already, let's go to sleep" Roy said and guided Ed to his room.

"Here this is my room, you can sleep on the bed" Roy told Ed as he switched off the lights.

"Good night Fullmetal"

"Wait up colonel, if I am sleeping in your room so where are you sleeping?" Ed asked raising an eyebrow.

"I will sleep on the couch in the living room; it's okay"

"Eh? Do you think I will sleep in _your_ room and leave you to sleep on that small couch outside" Ed asked angrily.

"Then what do you expect? You are my _guest_ Fullmetal so obviously I won't have you sleeping on the couch!" Roy frowned.

Ed looked around at the extremely small portion he was occupying from the bed then moved slightly to one end.

"A..Alright I still can't let you sleep out there after all it's your room and _bed_ …" Ed moved his hands towards the _large_ area at the bed beside him.

"You can sleep here… The bed is big anyways …" He said avoiding eye contact with Roy.

Roy stood by the door staring at Ed before smirking.

"Is the bed really big or is it you who is so small?" he asked mockingly.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING AN ULTRA SMALL TINY MIDET WHO CAN'T BE SEEN ON THE BED WITHOUT A MAGNIFYING GLASS?!" Ed yelled at the top of his lungs

"Let's see…" Roy looked around

"You Fullmetal" he grinned.

"You are driving me crazy colonel!" Ed replied annoyed

"Oh but I doubt the _driving_ part" Roy said sarcastically.

"Ahhhh" Ed screamed and threw a pillow at Mustang, luckily for Ed, it hit him directly in the face and Ed dropped laughing at Roy's expressions.

Roy rolled his eyes at the childish act but was actually happy to see Ed at least a bit better.

"Alright Fullmetal let's sleep" he yawned as he walked towards the bed.

He climbed the bed and lied beside Edward who looked so exhausted right now.

"Good night Ed"

"Good night colonel"

And they slowly drifted into sleep.

* * *

 **I love Parental Roy!**

 **Well this turned put to be too long, I guess I got a bit carried away XD**

 **Hope you enjoyed! Review and Follow!**

 **Compliments and criticism are equally welcome... You can also give me an suggestions that you would want to see in my fics.**

 **I will hopefully post the next chapter soon.**

 **The more reviews, the faster chapter 2 will be out!**

 **See ya!**


	2. Chapter 2: What he fears the most…

**So I am finally posting my 2nd chapter. I guess it's been a week. Anyways hope you like it.**

 **It's kinda sad and well... Lemme not spoil it now =D**

 **I forgot to note that Ed has his original limps here as he regained them.**

 **The long italic part is Ed's nightmare.**

 ***Pairings: None.**

 ***Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, any of the characters or the cover picture. All I own is as usual - the plot.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Most Unfortunate and Unexpected Encounter**

 ** _Chapter 2: What he fears the most..._**

 _The familiar yet not so familiar sight enveloped him with warmness and_ _sheer_ _happiness as he watched the best moments of his life playing before his eyes. His mom sitting beside him wearing on her warm broad smile, his baby brother Alphonse waving his hands up in the air cheerfully as his plate was placed in front of him and his dad ruffling his short blonde hair. They were all gathered for dinner in the living room. It was an extremely beautiful and delightful sight. Then the scene changed; not entirely, it was pretty much the same but instead of being kids, Ed and Al were teens at their current age, the whole family together surrounding the dining table, chatting and laughing. They seemed an almost perfect family – almost…_

 _In a split second Ed was confined by pitch black darkness and his father appeared in his line of sight._

 _"_ _You're a bad kid Edward, I can't stand being around you anymore, remember it's all your fault" Hohenheim said in a cold, harsh tone, then turned and walked away. A 4 years old Ed started running and chasing his dad, stretching out his arms hoping to get a hold of his father with tears streaming down his cheeks._

 _"_ _Dad... Dad! I am sorry … I am so sorry… I will be a good kid, please don't leave… please no… we need you" he chocked._

 _No matter how much the kid kept running he couldn't reach his dad, and despite all his calling and begging for his dad to stay, the older man didn't even turn and look at his son and he soon faded out, leaving Ed alone in the darkness again._

 _His mom laid limb on the floor, then changed into a horrific non-human creature in a pool of blood, her bones sticking out awkwardly which brought chills down his spine._

 _"_ _Why didn't you... make mommy… better Edward? You're a failure…" it said before dying._

 _Then he saw his brother being deconstructed and taken away by tiny creepy black hands. Then an armor with red glowing eyes stood in front of him._

 _"_ _It's all your fault brother! If you just listened to me and didn't have us perform the transmutation I wouldn't have been trapped in a metallic body that can't feel, eat or sleep, actually if you didn't force dad to leave us, we would have been able to afford proper treatment for mom and she wouldn't have died in the first place, but you're arrogant and annoying! I hate you brother!" And Al disappeared._

 _Alexander and Nina appeared_ _;_ _playing around then suddenly got mixed up into a horrific chimera._

 _"_ _Why didn't you save me_ _big_ _brother?... I thought you would protect me…" the creature spoke pitifully._

Ed started tossing around in his bed, softly whimpering and mumbling apologies.

 _Now Roy, Hughes, Armstrong and all the crew including Winry and Pinako stood a few miles away from him, even Gracia and Elycia were there. They looked at him pleadingly while they were brutally attacked._

Roy was woken up by Ed's moans and movements. He sat up rubbing his eyes and looked over at the boy beside him. Sweat drops were trickling down his forehead; his hands were clenching at the fabric of the bed sheet, tossing his head back and forth, shivering and panting for air.

 _'_ _A nightmare, huh?'_ Roy mused.

He slowly reached for the boy and tried waking him up.

"Fullmetal"

No response.

 _"_ _No stop, don't kill them. Nooo!" he yelled yet they didn't stop, all the people whom he cared for were shot to death, one by one hitting the ground. They were all murdered in cold blood right before his eyes._

 _'_ _It's all your fault'_

 _'_ _I hate you brother'_

 _'_ _You're a failure'_

 _'_ _I thought you would protect me'_

 _The voices echoed in his head._

 _He lost them all…_

 _"_ _No way…" he gasped._

 _"_ _I am sorry, it's all my fault, I failed you and now you're… you're all dead" he said his voice cracking._

"Edward!" Roy called.

 _"_ _No no I am sorry, please" Ed pleaded for his torture to stop._

"Edward, wake up, it's just a nightmare!" Roy practically yelled, shaking the boy.

"Nooo!" Ed's head shot up, his eyes wide in agony, his breathing rapid and uneven. He glanced around absorbing in his surroundings.

"Edward, you okay?" Roy asked; the concern audible in his voice.

Ed turned to him still looking terrified and stared at the now worried man.

"I am sorry..." he managed to say as he covered his eyes with his hands.

"What are you apologizing for? You were just having a nightmare. Wait here I will get you some water" before Ed was able to speak Mustang had already left to the kitchen, after a moment he came back with a glass of water and offered it to Ed. After drinking it, Ed's breathing evened a bit but he was still visibly shivering.

"Calm down Ed. It's okay now" Roy tried but the boy just shook his head.

"I am sorry colonel… I always screw up things" Ed said softly but loud enough for Roy to hear him.

"Ed?" Roy was confused.

"Everything is my fault, mom, the transmutation, Al, Nina … I guess Al deserves to live with someone other than me… Even you; all what I have done since I joined the military is cause you all troubles, especially you Colonel. You must despise me, you should, I-"

"What the hell are you talking about Ed?!" Roy interrupted angrily.

"I … I am just sorry for being such a naïve idiot!" Ed replied abruptly avoiding Roy's gaze.

Roy sighed and rubbed his temples.

"No Ed, you aren't an idiot, you're a prodigy who have went through so much for his age. Nothing was your fault. When you performed the transmutation? You had no idea what would be the price. All you wanted was to see your mom again. And Al, you think he hates you, you think he blames you? You've got it totally wrong then. Al looks up to you, he loves you to no extents, you gave up your right arm for him and you were ready to give up your soul if it would save him. You promised him to regain his body and no matter how many times you met dead ends, you stayed true to your words and now see; he is in his human body again. For him you were literally both his _parents_ , not just his elder brother. And the Tucker's incident was by no means your fault either"

Roy raised a hand to stop Ed from trying to protest then continued.

"It was only Tucker's fault; no one would think that a father would turn his daughter to a talking chimera to maintain his state alchemist certification, so you taking the blame for what happened, is non-sense. And about you causing troubles, you may be a hot headed, annoying brat but when push comes to shove, you are ready to do all what it takes to save others, we know you better Ed, you are kind and protective to those around you. We don't hate you and will never do, got it?" Roy asked looking Ed in the eye.

Ed didn't reply.

"Did you understand what I said?"

"Y…Yes colonel" Ed said.

"So I don't want to hear this non-sense again, alright?"

"Okay" he simply nodded.

Roy laid back into the bed and dragged Ed down with him

"Now let's sleep, we are going to have a long day tomorrow" Roy stated.

"Colonel… you… you won't leave like _he_ did, right?"

'Damn _that_ bastard, no wonder Ed is afraid to trust any adult figure'

"No Ed, I won't ever leave" he said and offered the young blonde a reassuring smile before sleeping.

* * *

The next morning Hughes had considered going to see how Ed and Roy were doing, hoping they didn't kill each other. Reluctantly, he headed towards Roy's apartment and used the spare keys to unlock the door and slowly crept in.

The place was so quiet so Hughes went to Roy's room and gently pushed the door. He saw Ed cuddled against Roy, both peacefully sleeping and that's when an evil grin covered his face.

* * *

Snap.

Snap. Snap. Snap.

"What the hell Hughes?!" Roy yelled as much as he could without waking Edward up.

He was woken up by flash lights and the giggling of none other than his so called _best_ friend.

"Sorry Roy, I couldn't resist; you both looked so cute like a father and his son." Hughes managed between chuckles.

"You're crazy Hughes. A family obsessed person who does nothing but blabbers all the time. And where the heck do you get your camera from every time something _cute_ happens?" Roy hissed and rolled his eyes while carefully getting off the bed.

"Hahaha, a camera is an essential requirement to capture the best moments when they occur" he grinned at Roy.

Roy glared at his _idiotic_ friend and spoke softly.

"Whatever Hughes, let's just leave the room before we wake Ed up, yesterday was hectic and he needs to rest…" he sighed.

"Something happened?"Hughes asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Let's move out and I will tell you"

"Alright" Hughes replied faintly as they walked out.

* * *

Roy made some toast and coffee before joining Hughes at the table. And they started eating breakfast.

"Soooooo?" Hughes dramatically asked.

Roy let out an exasperated sigh then started.

"Well I somehow had him speak up instead of keeping it all in"

"You did?! That's great Roy!"

"Yeah… But he ended up breaking down and all then we slept, around 2 hours later he had a nightmare which seemed pretty bad. I woke him up and he was all crumbled, he started apologizing and blabbering about how everything was his fault. I didn't get to know the details of his nightmare but I tried convincing him that nothing was his fault and I _hope_ he understood…"

"He shouldn't be shouldering everything like that when he is just a 15 years old kid…" Hughes said as his face turned a bit gloomy and sympathetic.

"You know, he feels that we would hate him and leave him at some point" Roy looked sadly at Hughes.

"No wonder, his own dad abandoned him Roy, it would be really hard for him to trust others… I just wish he realizes that not everyone would betray _him_ " Hughes let out a sigh.

"Well-" Roy was interrupted by the loud ringing of the phone. He shared a look with Hughes before heading towards the phone. He glanced at the clock which read 9 am.

'Who would phone me at this hour?!' he frowned.

"Roy Mustang speaking" he said in a monotone as he picked up the phone.

"Good morning Mr. Mustang. This is Hohenheim" the voice from the other side replied.

Roy gasped in shock but recollected himself quickly.

"Oh good morning Mr. Hohenheim…"

Hughes glared at him in a way that Roy didn't quite understand. He didn't even notice the fact that Ed was standing behind him with a dazed look.

"Mr. Mustang, I thought that you might know the whereabouts of Edward since you are his officer as of _now_ "

"Well… umm… Edward, he's …" Roy was startled and something about the way Hohenheim said the last part of his sentence set Roy into uneasiness.

"ROY!" Hughes hissed, pointing at Ed. Roy suddenly turned to find Ed staring blankly at him.

"Yes, where is he?" Hohenheim pressed.

"Edward… he is-" Edward cut Roy off as he snatched the phone from him.

"Yes bastard! It's me, what the hell do you want?!"

"Oh Edward you worried us-"

"As if" Ed mumbled.

"Yes Edward. Now come home, I need to speak to you-"

"There's nothing for us to talk about!" Ed said with a dangerous edge to his tone.

"It's something important I need to discuss with you, Al and Winry but they refused to talk about the matter without you being with them. So will you come or should I pick you up?" his _dad_ asked.

By now Ed was literally fuming and radiating fury, Hughes and Roy watched him silently.

"No bastard, I don't need you to pick me up! In fact I don't need anything from you and for your information I am JUST coming for Winry's and Al's sake!" he growled and slammed the phone shut.

The three occupants of the room just stood without uttering a word. The air was so tense that you could cut through it with a knife; a moment later it got so uncomfortable and Hughes decided to break the silence.

"Ed?" he asked worriedly.

"It's nothing. He _claims_ that there is something urgent we need to discuss. Winry and Al refused to talk about it in my absence, so I guess I am going then" he sighed and waved at the two men as he walked towards the front door.

"Wait Ed" Roy said causing Edward to stop in his tracks.

He turned to Roy with a scowl "What?"

"We will drive you" Roy stated flatly and went to his room to change.

"I ain't a kid colonel bastard…" Ed mumbled with an annoyed 'humph' as he crossed his arms.

Hughes chuckled slightly and patted Ed's back.

"Oh Ed, we didn't say that!" he grinned.

"But you implied it!" Ed pointed out.

"Come on" Roy returned and started heading towards the door as the other two followed close behind him.

All the three settled into the car and Roy started driving.

* * *

Soon enough, the apartment became in sight. Hughes turned and glanced at Ed nervously; he was sitting in the back seat, his arms crossed over his chest with frowned eyebrows.

"Ed" Hughes spoke softly.

"Hmm?" Ed was trying his best to stay calm but he was miserably failing in that matter as anger was prominent upon all his features.

"See Ed, I know you are angry but you have to try to be rational. Yelling all the time won't help you at all" Hughes said.

"Nor fighting, throwing and breaking things will" Roy added much to Ed's displeasure.

"Shut up colonel!" Ed warned.

"Why do you accept Hughes speaking then?" Roy muttered to himself but it didn't go unnoticed by Ed who grinned.

"Coz you are a bastard with a _know-it-all_ attitude" Ed said and laughed. Roy and Hughes couldn't help the smiles that crept over their faces.

"Whatever Fullmetal, we're here" Roy said as he parked the car.

* * *

 **Oh! Chapter 2 is done! =D**

 **Kind of a cliff hanger *grins evilly***

 **So what do you think Hohenheim wants to discuss about? :p**

 **Well we will know in the next chapter.**

 **Chapter 3 is most probably the last. I will post it next week anyways hope you enjoyed.**

 **Review and follow. All opinions are welcome. Feel free to give me any ideas for fanfics, will be glad to write them :)**

 **See ya!**


	3. Chapter 3: The bitter and sweet truths

**I am back with the last chapter =D  
**

 **Sorry I think I am 2 days late from the planned time, but anyways ...  
**

 **I tried my best to make the ending satisfying enough so hope you like it.**

 ***I want to thank everyone who followed and favoured this story and specially those who spared their time to drop a review.  
** **Pastel P0cky,** **ally(guest) and emmahoshi(guest).** **Thanks a bunch for your reviews, they really motivated me :)**

 ***Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or the characters, I don't own the cover image, all I own is the plot.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 **The Most Unfortunate and Unexpected Encounter**

 ** _Chapter 3: The bitter and sweet truths_**

The three of them entered when Edward opened the front door. Winry was waiting in the living room and immediately rushed to them as they entered.

"Ed, you idiot!" she yelled as she threw her wrench at him.

"Calm down Winry! What the hell was that for?!" he exclaimed while rubbing his head.

Winry skillfully ignored Ed's complains and turned to the other two men who were about to leave.

"Mr Hughes, Mr Roy, please come in" she smiled and motioned to them to sit in the living room.

"I will get you something to eat" She stated.

"Oh Winry, you don't really have to" Hughes said with his usual smile.

"Thanks Winry but we will leave so as not to intrude your personal discussion" Roy added.

"No no, that's not a problem you can stay in the living room, we can't just send you back after you came all the way to drop Ed. I am sure that he caused you lots of trouble being the annoying brat he is, so this is the least we could do for you. And thanks for your concerns" Winry said leaving no room for arguing.

"I am not an annoying brat, you gear head" Ed mumbled.

"Shut up Ed, we all know you are a trouble maker!" she replied and hit him with her wrench _again_.

"It's okay Winry. In fact, _surprisingly_ Fullmetal didn't cause that much trouble this time" Roy said as he smirked at Ed.

"You-" Ed started but was cut off by Winry's death glare that meant 'Say another word and the next hit of my wrench will be the last thing you _see_ '

Then she went to the kitchen and came back after a moment with two cups of coffee and a plate of pastries.

"Here, please help yourselves" she said softly.

"Thank you" the men replied in unison as they went to be seated on one of the couches.

"Come on Ed. Al and your dad are waiting in the next room" she said and dragged Ed into the room.

* * *

"Oh Edward, it's good to see you" Hohenhiem spoke.

"Can't say the same to you bastard" Ed hissed and went to sit by his brother.

"Brother, I am sorry" Al whispered.

"It's okay Al. We will talk later" Ed said smiling warmly at his brother.

"Now, what's the _important_ discussion you wanted us for? – Oh actually first, do you care to tell me why the hell did you leave?!" Ed managed between gritted teeth.

"Believe me Ed; I left you for your own good. I wanted to protect you as I was being chased by a dangerous terrorists group for secret information. Later when they were captured and executed, I was completing some research and decided to look for you"

Ed looked at him skeptically before glaring at his _supposed-to-father_.

"A research more important than your family, right?"

"Edward, please understand. You're the most important thing in my life. I didn't even complete the research yet, I made you boys my first priority and I am considering taking you back to Resembool"

Meanwhile in the living room, Roy and Hughes where patiently listening to the conversation in the room next to them. In fact, they were relieved and glad for being able to at least hear what was going on.

"Wait a second. I have a question" Ed sighed nervously then continued.

"Did you stop your research or where you stuck somewhere?"

"Why do you want to-"

"Answer me!" Ed demanded _dangerously_.

"Well, I got stuck at some theory, what's with it?" Hohenhiem looked confused.

Ed tensed even more if that was possible as his _suspicions_ seemed to be more realistic after hearing that answer.

"Now honestly answer me. If you didn't get stuck, would you have come for us?"

Winry and Al froze. Roy and Hughes gasped realization hitting them too.

 _Silence._

"Speak up, damn it!"

"N…no… I would have completed the research first. But believe me Ed, I would have came for you after that" he admitted.

Winry worriedly glanced at Al who now wore a grim and _betrayed_ expression on his face.

"Shut up! Don't give me that crap!" Ed yelled and furiously punched the coffee table in front of him.

"So that's it for you bastard?! You heard your sons are prodigies so when you need help you thought 'why not use them'. I bet that you want us back in Resembool to help you, isn't it?!"

"Ed, that wasn't my only motive… I-"

"Like hell it wasn't! Who do you think I am? An idiot? Get lost you bastard I am not going back with you and I sure am not going to help you!" Ed stood up glaring daggers at Hohenheim.

"Edward, you and your brother are minors. I am your father and I legally have the right to force you out of the military and take you with me" Hohenhiem now spoke sternly in a commanding tone that made Ed even angrier.

* * *

"Damn that bastard!" Roy groaned under his breath and his hands balled into fists.

"Calm down Roy" Hughes draped a hand over Roy's shoulder and went on.

"We can't do anything right now" He sighed looking worried and _…angry._

"So what do you suggest? We sit here and see him force them out of the military and take them off when we know that he don't even care about them? Is that what you want?!" Roy asked in the most annoyed tone he could master.

"No Roy! But whatever we do will make things worse. He is their dad and that's a fact whether he acts like it or not and we have got no legal right to tell him anything or stop him and you know it" Hughes spoke.

"Let them resolve this issue between them. It's personal" he added.

"I hate this" Roy sat back and sighed heavily.

They turned to look back at the room's door.

* * *

Ed was aggravated and felt like destroying everything but _barely_ held back.

"You think I am afraid of that. You got it _wrong_ bastard. Threatening me won't be of any use. Do it, I _dare_ you! So what after you take us back, you can't force me to help you in the research, can you?" Ed smirked at him.

Hohenhiem was _pissed_.

"ED you listen to me! I am your father and you have to do as I say -" he yelled but before he could complete his sentence he was met by his son's fist for the _second_ time.

"Shut up! You don't call me Ed! And you think I have to listen to you? In your dreams" Ed shrugged.

"You better know where you stand because you aren't my dad. You stopped being one after leaving us and you proved that you can't be one now _either_. I would rather die than help a person like you!"

Ed drew in a deep breath and spoke calmly.

"I am not coming with you and if you force me, I won't help you anyways. If Al and Winry want to go back with you to Resembool then I won't stop them, it's their own choice but _Van Hohenhiem_ you mean nothing to me" Ed said with an emotionless tone and eyed all the three room occupants.

Al started "Sorry but I don't want to come with you father. I don't want to help you either. I am staying with Edward" Al spoke, his voice barely audible with a mixture of sorrow and anger. He had hoped that his dad actually cared about them. He had wished to just live with him and settle, to at least have a part of his old life back but everything shattered into pieces…

Ed noticed how depressed his brother was and all he wanted was to beat up Hohenhiem as much as he could for breaking his brother that way.

"You've got no power over me and you know that I can't help you anyways. Whatever I am staying with Ed and Al" Winry replied, irritation evident in her voice, even she hated Hohenhiem for making her childhood friends, those she considered _brothers,_ suffer so much.

Hohenhiem sighed, he knew that he was defeated and that taking them back won't help him, in fact it will just slow him down. He didn't want more ' _burdens'_.

Hohenhium stood up and walked to the front door. He shot them a cold look and left the same way he had abandoned them as kids – without looking back, without saying goodbye just a _bitter glare_ defining the _bitter truth_.

The room was once again filled with an uncomfortable silence. Winry was looking down at the floor tiles, Al doing his best to hold back his tears and Ed standing in the middle of the room, hands still curled up into fists.

"Damn it!" he yelled but his heart was torn apart upon hearing his brother's sobbing. He turned to see his brother quivering violently and clutching his knees.

"Alphonse" Ed murmured softly as he walked towards his little brother.

"Everything is going to be okay" he said and drew his younger brother into a strong embrace, gently rubbing the back of his head.

And Alphonse cried out like the _child_ he was; a betrayed and broken child. He pushed his head into his brother's chest soaking his shirt and clutching it strongly.

"I… I am so..rry… brother"

"No Al, you didn't do anything wrong" Ed reassured.

"But…"

"No Al"

He held his brother tighter.

"No matter what, I will always be here for you" _I will always protect you._

By that time Roy and Hughes had already walked into the room and just stood by the door watching the brothers comforting each other.

 _'_ _It's unfair that everything is so hard for them'_ Roy thought sympathetically.

After a moment Al started calming down. Edward squeezed him gently before releasing him.

"I will get you some water" he smiled and patted his head before walking out of the room and to the kitchen.

"Here" he came back and offered his brother a cup of water.

Al drank it and took in a deep breath.

"Thank you brother" he smiled wearily.

"Not at all Al" Ed replied with his own smile before looking at Winry who still looked gloomy and tears where threatening to spill over her cheeks.

"Hey Winry, don't worry" Ed ruffled her hair.

"I am not worried Ed" she said in a frail voice.

"You think you can fool me?" he smiled at her, resting his hand atop her head.

"With that mind of yours, anyone can" she tried a cocky grin in a vain attempt to lighten the mode.

"Sure they can" He chuckled slightly.

* * *

After a moment of unsettling silence Roy and Hughes made their way to sit on the bed across the room.

Hughes cleared his throat before speaking softly.

"Hey boys… Well, I understand the way you're feeling right now but we need you to know one thing" he glanced at Roy to signal him to continue.

Roy was _nervous_. He was never good in _such_ things.

"Uhm… You guys need to understand that you aren't alone and that we're all here for you"

"Colonel-" Ed tried but was cut off by Hughes.

"Don't argue the point Ed, just listen to us, all three of you"

The said three shared glances among each other and nodded, waiting for the inevitable, they stared at the adults in front of them.

"I know that you might feel that you've nothing left, that you can't rely on others but that's not it. No matter how you look at it, you guys can't just be totally independent you know. At times, things might get really hard and kind of unbearable; you would feel that you need comfort, an _adult_ comfort. You seem to think that you don't have it and so you try to convince yourselves that you don't even need it. But it _isn't_ the case here; sometimes you need help no matter what you think" Hughes said and Roy took over.

"The other problem is that you're oblivious of the fact that you _do_ have people who care about you, people who love you and are willing to provide you all the comfort you need"

He was met by unreadable expressions that he couldn't quite identify but went on nonetheless.

"You know Hughes, Hawkeye, Hovac, Fuery, Breda, Fallman; we have all been each other's support for a long time and we care about each other like a family. And the moment you joined our team, you became an irreplaceable part of that family too, a _special_ one though Edward can be annoying at times but you always helped us when we needed and didn't want any harm to befall us. So you know, these folks back in the office are _your_ siblings, they love you way much and feel the urge to protect you and ensure your safety. We just wish that you guys would see it and seek our help and comfort when you are down because it _hurts_ us to see you in pain or grief. You've went through so much for you ages and you deserve to have _us_ with you" Roy finished and looked at the _kids_ , who were overwhelmed and dazed. They didn't seem to register what was being said as if it was a _façade_ or a _hallucination_.

"Trust us, Ed, Al, Winry. We really love you and would do anything to put you guys at some ease and lift off some of the weight you are shouldering" Hughes smiled softly at them.

"We will always be there for you and won't leave, no matter what. Not every adult figure would betray you so you can rely on us" Roy added firmly as he knew that they have always been haunted by the people they loved leaving them.

"Y..you mean it?" Al asked weakly.

"All the way Al" Roy replied with a tender smile.

"…Thank..you.." they replied.

"Not at all" Hughes beamed.

"Oh by the way! Roy forgot something in his speech" Hughes grinned evilly, which set Roy into uneasiness _again_.

"I don't think I did Hughes" Roy mumbled.

"Well kids, Roy forgot to mention that he thinks of you as if you're his _own_ children" Hughes said and patted Roy who literally chocked up at his friend's words. The three of them looked stunned but you could see the glimpse of joy glittering in their eyes.

"What the hell Hughes?! I didn't tell you that!" Roy tensed; which Hughes actually found funny.

"Hehehe, you don't need to tell me, I know everything!" Hughes replied chuckling.

"Hughes-"

"Can you deny it then?" Hughes asked.

Roy turned to look at the three in front of him. He knew that Hughes was right. These kids have greatly affected him; especially Ed and Al, although he met them around 4 years ago but he admired their strength and courage, their resolve and determination and the way they come off their way to help others whether strangers or friends despite being children. Yes they meant much more to him than he had ever thought possible and he could and _would_ never deny it.

"…No…" he replied and looked away as a slight blush covered his face.

"See!"Hughes giggled.

And for once since years, the three teenagers shed tears of joy, laughed out of sheer happiness, finally feeling whole again by being a part of a _real_ family and finding a place they can truly call _home_.

* * *

 **Ha! I am finally done with my first ever fanfic :)**

 **I know Hohenhiem isn't that bad in the anime but this is my fanfic so it's my choice XD**

 **This was the honestly the best ending I could come up with.**

 **I tried to keep the characters from being OOC ...**

 **But I honestly think that Roy would act like that if the incident happen, I mean he is protective on the Elrics right? Like the way he was shocked when he knew that they may be hunted down by Scar or the fact that he wants to make them strong to face the outside world though he might be harsh sometimes but still :p**

 **Anyways I want to know your opinions about this fiction! And as always Compliments and criticism are equally welcomed ;)**

 **I would also like to get suggestions and ideas from you guys about what you want me to write next (About fma tho because I am in the mood for that!)**

 **So till next time! See ya!**


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